Kaskade brings freak show to Coney Island, NYC (Review)

It is always a debate whether or not to cough up hard earned cash for EDM shows these days, when the industry has been a transparent hype machine fueled by many false promises that result in let downs more often than not. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, that Kaskade set high expectations for his Freaks of Nature tour, which will be visiting every corner of North America this summer. “Kaskade as you’ve never seen him before” is the guarentee that comes along with the all-American DJ’s summer tour, and after witnessing his second stop in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, we can safely say that he has delivered accordingly.

Over the top production impressed the meticulous crowd, and the only familiarities came in the form of his usual mashups, that repeatedly elevated the overflowing MCU Park, home to the Brooklyn Cyclones by day and ravers by night. Kaskade has been one of the unanimous favorites of festival season 2012, so with buzz still lingering, he finally shared that very excitement with the northeast yet again.

Fareoh and Alvin Risk played throughout the daylight as the crowd filed into MCU Park, but lack of lights and underwhelming sound quality hadn’t nearly exposed the baseball stadium for its potential as a concert venue – at least not yet. The crowd during both opening sets was no indication of how many people would actually flood the field for the headliner, and while Alvin Risk’s set may have been rambunctious, nothing was warming up the crowd more that the actual hype that surrounded Kaskade’s arrival.

The sun finally set on Coney Island, and as the old saying goes, the freaks come out at night.. The neighboring amusement park rides were visible in the distance over left field and large rings of color lit up and surrounded MCU Park – a never before seen production tactic that gave Freaks of Nature a unique and cosmic manifestation.

Looking down at the field from the mid-level concession stands, it appeared that the swarm sized up to festival magnitudes as the fans patiently awaited the title-holder of America’s Best DJ. Lights flickered and the first build up trickled throughout the stadium before a booming bass drop had all in attendance thinking they might be around for Brooklyn’s first earthquake. This was no natural disaster, but rather Kaskade opening with “Eyes” and commanding full control of the crowd by the time he moved into its Swanky Tunes remix.

Kaskade – Eyes (Swanky Tunes Remix)

As for the set that would follow, there wouldn’t be many surprises, but it was only fair that Kaskade replicate his festival magic for his east coast following. Before proceeding, he took hold of the microphone and asked who had seen him on Halloween, the last time he played in New York City – it was clear Kaskade missed his NYC fans, and their reaction indicated likewise feelings. (We went to that show, and it was amazing.) While fireworks filled the night sky, the DJ-whiz continued with his FON mashup of “Be Still” and the Tommy Trash remix of “Ladi Dadi,” followed by Gregori Klosman’s remix of “Room For Happiness.” The impressive sound system may have already blown out eardrums, but the EDM-superstar still had an hour and a half on the clock to leave his mark.

Be Still Ladi Dadi (Kaskade’s Freaks Of Nature MashUp)

After dropping his original classic “Raining,” Kaskade got right back to his tricks of the trade – that is, mixing up his heartwarming tunes with relevant dance music bangers. Still early in the night, he upcasted energy and morale with his acapella of “Stars Align” atop Qulinez’s “Troll.” What seemed like perfect execution was followed by even more mashups: “Angel On My Shoulder” worked wonders with the instrumental of Nicky Romero’s remix of “Stronger,” and the hard hitting “Quasar” was accompanied by the seductive vocal of “4AM.”

Given the perfect balance of dance hits and Kaskade favorites, the crowd was going wild and energy had appeared to reach its peak – that was, until the original “Lick It” and Kaskade’s popular mashup of “Call Out” and “Epic” took raging to a whole new level. Feeding off that energy, the maestro set off to test the crowd’s explosion boundary, dropping Dada Life’s remix of “Llove” and Fire & Ice‘s “Lessons In Love.” The one-two punch served as the climax of audacity from both Kaskade and his legion, as he prepared to drift back into the exhilarating mashup-mode we saw earlier in the night.

Call Out Epic (Kaskade MashUp)

With the night obviously coming to a close, we were unsure how Kaskade would cool down the crowd. This was no challenge for the emotion controlling-pro: he turned to his inspiring vocals to get the job done. The angelic vocal for “Move For Me” was mixed with Swanky Tunes’ “The Legend,” the powerful lyrics of “Turn It Down” laid atop Tommy Trash’s remix of “Toulouse,” and “Fire In Your New Shoes” mixed with “Antidote” proved forceful as well. Kaskade was ready to close out an unforgettable night in New York City, and dug deep into his arsenal for a grand finale with “I Remember,” nearly paralyzing the mass deluge that had been so engulfed in euphoria.

Minutes following 11PM, Coney Island returned to its rave-free civilization and June 15th became an illustrious memory for all associated with the night’s adventure. Kaskade captured hearts and blew the minds of thousands while proving his Freaks Of Nature tour as a force to be reckoned with this summer. After one amazing night of FON, it is safe say that this tour is something more than just special.

Kaskade is bringing his supernatural festival performance on the road, using dynamic music and visuals that make surpassing the daunting expectations look like an easy task. Luckily for the rest of the continent, his stop in New York City was only the beginning – he will be taking his freak show on the road for two more months, bringing the mayhem to your city and beyond.